BASEBALL NOTES : Pitchers Duel in Name-Calling Over Hit Batter in Series Finale

Cincinnati pitcher Rob Dibble has accused Oakland pitcher Dave Stewart of intentionally hitting Reds outfielder Billy Hatcher with a pitch during the final game of the World Series.

The accusation prompted Stewart to call Dibble a “punk.�

The Dayton Daily News said today that the exchange occurred during separate interviews between reporters and the two players after Saturday night’s game.

In the first inning of the Reds’ 2-1 victory, Hatcher was hit in the hand by a Stewart fastball. Hatcher, who set a World Series record for four games with a .750 batting average, left the game.

“I felt that was a horsefeathers thing to do--hit a guy because he’s hot,� Dibble was quoted as saying. “Of course I think it was intentional. He put his guys in jeopardy, and he is lucky he isn’t in the National League, where he has to bat. If he would have ruined Billy’s career, I guarantee somebody would have gotten him.�

Told of Dibble’s remarks, Stewart said: “Tell him he is a punk. Tell him to talk to me when he has won 20 games or saved 40. He’s a reliever who doesn’t know how to pitch. He has a fastball and that’s it. Tell him to learn how to pitch. He is stupid and doesn’t know anything about baseball. I hit people by mistake, not on purpose.�

In Oakland, the A’s, whose season took an entirely unexpected detour in its final 100 hours, quietly cleaned out their lockers Sunday.

While defending their status as a great team, the A’s fell short of the Big Red Machine of the mid-1970s or the A’s of the early ‘70s. That Oakland team won three consecutive World Series titles.

“No, we’re not in that class now,� catcher Ron Hassey said. “We didn’t win three in a row. But I honestly think we’re at that level.�